Kendo: Everything You Need to Know

Fencing may be a Western creation, but the Japanese have kendo, a martial art deeply rooted in the land of the samurai. Loosely translated as "the way of the sword", kendo is not only an educational sport but also a way of life in which practitioners value personal development, self-discipline and respect. It is no surprise that millions of people still practise this ancient art in the 21st century.

In this article, we explore the world of kendo, the equipment it requires and the techniques practitioners seek to master. We also look at the fundamental principles and rules of competitive kendo, as well as the benefits you can gain from this martial art.

Kendo descends directly from the swordsmanship of Japan's warriors: for context, read our complete guide to the samurai. It is practised with the shinai, but the kata are performed with the bokken (wooden sword); see our collection of training bokken. And if you are looking for the art of drawing the sword rather than the competitive sport, discover the difference between iaido and iaijutsu.

The history of kendo

Let us begin by answering the question "What is kendo?" by looking at its origins.

Scholars consider that the age of the samurai ran from 1185 to 1868, which leads some to believe that kendo developed in that era. However, this martial art predates the katana by several centuries, notably around the 3rd to 4th century. It coincides with the period when swordsmanship began in the archipelago.

Kendo reached the status of a martial art in the mid-19th century, at the end of the Edo period, by combining several methods of "samurai swordsmanship" (kenjutsu) from each Japanese province. 21st-century kendo drew on Hokoshin Itto-ryu, Akanishiha Itto-ryu and Jikishinkage-ryu.

The following figures contributed to the development of modern kendo.

• Naganuma Shirozaemon: inventor of the shinai kendo sword and of kendo protective equipment in the early 18th century.
• Nakanishi Chuta: developed the 4-segment shinai we still use today.
• Chiba Shusaku Narimasa: popularised the kendo fencing style.

The year 1877 marked the end of the samurai, but not of kendo. As the "way of the sword", the Meiji government used the principles of kendo to instil discipline in the police while venerating Japanese culture and tradition.

Valuing the teachings of kendo, Japanese educators of the early 20th century included kendo in the school curriculum in order to instil unquestioning obedience and loyalty to the emperor and to strengthen nationalist sentiment among young Japanese.

Kendo was removed from the curriculum after the Second World War, but it was revived in 1952 with the growing popularity of the sword sport Shinai Kyogi. This paved the way for the creation of the All Japan Kendo Federation, which eliminated the older kendo techniques deemed harmful or detrimental.

This is the kendo that endures today.

The benefits of kendo

Although modern kendo no longer teaches many of the "styles of the samurai warrior", it continues to help practitioners (kendoka) gain the following benefits.

Mental strength

Like the legendary samurai, kendoka build their mental strength, concentration, discipline and perseverance. These attributes allow kendo students to channel their mental energy into dealing with everyday stress, which helps them excel in many facets of modern life.

Respect and spiritual development

Although fictional, Tom Cruise's character, Captain Nathan Algren, in the film "The Last Samurai", sums up the land and daily practices of the samurai warrior as simply "spiritual". Calmness of mind, courtesy, respect, mental clarity and etiquette are at the heart of the samurai world. These attributes are also at the heart of kendo training.

Physical training

Make no mistake. Kendo training can be brutally demanding. It requires kendoka to be agile and flexible. They must show unfailing vigour and stamina while coordinating lightning-fast movements without losing their balance. These requirements may sound easy, but try meeting them with the mental focus of a samurai, and it becomes a challenge.

Cultural appreciation

Learning about and appreciating Japanese culture is more engaging through kendo training than through watching informational videos and reading educational material. It is a multisensory experience that Westerners cannot get anywhere else, and it allows them to better understand the unique traditions and beliefs of the Japanese people.

Social connections

Like other places of learning, kendo dojos are communities where social interaction is cherished and valued. It is not unusual to form lifelong friendships with other kendo learners, creating wonderful social bonds that transcend geopolitical and socio-economic boundaries.

Kendo swords

Now that we understand the many benefits of kendo, it is time to turn to this martial art that reveres the indomitable spirit of the samurai warrior and the way of handling the sword. Kendo swords are as essential as the katana of the samurai.

It is worth stressing that using a razor-sharp katana to learn and master the "way of the sword" is not a good idea, particularly for novices and beginners. Kendo swords have a straight wooden blade. These training tools do not have the distinct curve and sharpened edge of the katana. However, kendo training swords can still cause pain when they strike a part of the body, but the blunt edge will not cut or slice.

Although these tools do not use the equally mystical tamahagane steel, kendo swords remain exceptional works of art and invaluable tools that allow kendoka to reap the many benefits of the martial art.

Shinai

According to the Japanese government, Japan is home to 250 of the world's 1,200 species of bamboo, ahead of India's 136 species but short of China's 861. Bamboo remains one of Japan's most precious woods nonetheless, which allows it to make shinai kendo swords for training.

Bamboo is sturdy and durable, yet supple enough not to cause serious injury when a kendoka strikes an opponent with it. The shinai is incomparable. It does not have the iconic curve of the katana, although the shinai retains certain elements of the samurai sword.

The shinai measures 115 centimetres or 45 inches from the kashira (pommel) of the tsuka (handle) to the kissaki (the tip of the blade). The average katana is 15 centimetres (5.9 in) shorter. However, the shinai's tsuka (handle) is slightly smaller than that of a katana. Some shinai are longer or shorter to suit the size of the user.

Beginner kendoka use shinai because they are safer while giving them the unique feeling of handling a legendary tool. It is the ideal training tool for learning the basics, testing the skills acquired in sparring and taking part in tournaments.

A kendoka wielding a shinai. Photo by AlleSerebrina.

Bokken

Advanced kendoka who wish to learn and master the art of kata can opt for a sturdier wooden kendo sword, the bokken. This wooden samurai training sword is almost identical to the tamahagane steel katana, with its characteristic curve, but without the gleam of the sharpened blade.

Although the bokken can be made from any hardwood, most kendo sword makers use red oak or white oak. Its overall length is close to that of the steel katana, measuring from kashira to kissaki 100 to 110 centimetres or 39 to 43 inches.

Kendo tournaments and sparring forbid the use of a bokken, because hardwood is more likely to cause injury than a bamboo or softwood shinai.

This is why senseis (teachers) recommend this kendo sword only for practising and mastering advanced kendo techniques, such as guarding, handling and cutting techniques with the katana. It can help students refine their skills and perform other katana movements that they can use in tournaments or shinai bouts.

A wooden bokken for kendo. Photo by BokutoShop.

Bogu, the kendo armour

Like fencing, kendo requires kendoka to wear a "uniform" or "armour" (bogu). Although shinai kendo swords cannot slice or cut, they can still hurt when you strike another person without adequate protection. That is why the sword martial art requires kendo armour made up of the following elements (from head to toe).

Men

This part of the kendo armour (bogu) comprises a mask and two protective shoulder flaps. These elements protect the kendoka's face, head, neck and shoulders. It consists of the following elements.

• Men gane: the horizontal metal bars running from side to side and protecting the kendoka's face from the chin to the centre line of the head.
• Tsuki dare: a series of leather and fabric straps attached to the base of the men gane to protect the kendoka's throat.
• Men dare: the main protective garment of the bogu, made of thick fabric padding, protecting the head and extending over the shoulders.
• Tenugui: an essential item for the kendoka, similar to a towel, which can be wrapped around the head beneath the men to improve comfort by absorbing sweat, while offering additional protection.
• Uchiwa: the inner ring that supports the men gane.

Do

The do offers a thick breastplate of leather or padded cloth to protect the torso, including the chest and abdomen.

Kote

These elements of kendo armour are mitten-shaped gloves that protect the kendoka's hands and forearms without hampering mobility, comfort and power.

Tare

The tare is a kind of belt that the kendoka wraps around the waist, made up of panels of thick fabric fixed with built-in ties that wrap around both thighs, near the groin. The protective flaps hang freely over the groin and both legs.

Keikogi

Derived from the words "keiko" (practice) and "gi" (garment), the keikogi is the training uniform of a kendoka, worn under the bogu. Most keikogi are indigo because the Japanese believe this colour has haemostatic effects and sterilising properties.

Hakama

If the keikogi is the upper garment of the kendoka's training uniform, the hakama is the trousers, or wide-legged trousers. It is a traditional Japanese garment with unique features.

• Himo: four straps (himo) to fasten the hakama; two long straps at the front of the garment and two short himo at the back
• Koshi-ita: a rigid board-like panel at the back of the hakama
• Hakama-dome: a spoon-shaped section fixed with the short himo at the back or slipped under an obi to secure the hakama

The hakama has five deep pleats (three on the right and two on the left) at the front and two at the back. These pleats represent the seven virtues of bushido, which include the following.

• Meiyo - honour
• Gi - integrity, justice and righteousness
• Rei - respect and courtesy
• Chugi - duty and loyalty
• Yu - heroic courage
• Jin - compassion, mercy or benevolence
• Makoto - honesty and sincerity

Kendo armour (bogu). Photo by BoguShop.

The kendo dojo

Traditional Japanese people call a kendo training centre a dojo, or "place of the way". It is worth stressing that these places are not limited to learning the essentials of the sword martial arts. They are also essential for mastering meditation, a central theme in learning kendo.

Kendo dojos have a wide, open wooden floor to accommodate as many kendoka as possible. It is like a high school or primary school gymnasium.

Kendo training techniques

Learning and mastering the different kendo techniques requires kendoka to wear the appropriate clothing (bogu, keikogi and hakama). You can train in kendo all year round. However, traditional Japanese practitioners train especially in summer (shochugeiko) and in winter (kangeiko).

Like any training programme, kendo progresses from beginner to advanced level, allowing kendoka to develop the aptitudes and skills needed at a given stage before moving on to the next.

Shinai training style

This kendo training programme is intended for beginners and some advanced kendoka who wish to master the basics. Senseis who teach the shinai style focus on the following kendoka skills and activities.

• Holding and swinging the shinai correctly
• Cutting, slashing and thrusting techniques
• Striking with the shinai
• Conditioning strikes (striking with the shinai over an extended period)
• Sparring and bout practice
• Tachikiri, or endurance bouts, where the sensei tests the limits of the kendoka's physical stamina.

Bokken training style

As the name suggests, bokken training requires the kendoka to use a wooden bokken instead of a bamboo shinai. This training method builds on the skills acquired at the shinai stage, allowing kendoka to practise guarding techniques and refine their katana cuts. It includes learning and mastering the following.

• Techniques of the martial art iaido (the art of drawing a katana and striking in a single swift, precise and fluid movement)
• Basic training methods with the wooden katana
• Fundamental kata movements

Attacking techniques: shikake waza

Kendo shinai tournaments require a kendoka to strike an opponent to score a point, as in fencing. To launch an attack, you need to know and master the shikake waza techniques, which include the following.

• Tobikomi waza: exploiting an opening, an opportunity or a weakness in the opponent
• Hikibana waza: the kendoka feigns losing balance, which prompts the opponent to lower their guard and allows the kendoka to score a point.
• Harai waza: involves striking the opponent's shinai aside.
• Katsugi waza: the kendoka lifts the shinai over the opponent's shoulder to attack by surprise.
• Debana waza: requires perfect timing to strike an opponent who is about to strike
• Nidan waza: creates a second opportunity to strike by ensuring the correct rhythm to hold the opponent's posture and attention, or to score hits.

Counter-attacking techniques: oji waza

Just as a kendoka can initiate a strike, they can also perform a counter-attack. These techniques are the oji waza and include the following.

• Kaeshi waza: parrying the opposing shinai and turning it over to strike the other side of the other kendoka.
• Nuki waza: requires perfect timing to sidestep an attack while executing a perfect counter-attack.
• Suriage waza: sweeping the opposing shinai aside with the counter-attacking kendoka's shinai before striking in the same direction as the initial attack.
• Uchiotoshi waza: striking down the opposing kendoka's shinai to neutralise the attack while moving to the counter-offensive.

Kendoka training in a dojo. Photo by Randburg Sun.

The basic principles of kendo

Kendo is not only about learning and mastering attacks and counter-attacks. Senseis stress conduct and etiquette (reiho) among kendoka because these attributes remain strong in Japanese culture. Kendoka must therefore observe the following.

• All kendoka must bow to the sensei, to other kendoka and to the dojo.
• All kendoka must walk and move barefoot in the dojo and training areas.
• A kendoka must respect the belongings of others, in particular the bogu, by not stepping over or touching them.
• Every kendo training session begins with meditation to help kendoka relax and calm their body and mind.
• All kendoka must respect their sparring or training partners, never regarding them as "enemies".

Kendo shinai tournaments

As we mentioned, kendo is the Japanese equivalent of Western fencing. It is a competitive sport in which opposing kendoka try to score points by striking specific areas of the bogu. The International Kendo Federation formulates and oversees the rules of each kendo shinai tournament.

Tournaments take place on a court measuring 9 metres by 11 metres (about 30 feet by 36 feet), its perimeter marked by white lines. A match can last from three to ten minutes, depending on the experience and age of the kendoka. A kendoka needs only two points to win a match, which requires a cutting or thrusting technique on the designated scoring areas, including the following.

• Sides or top of the men
• Padded areas of the kote
• Left or right side of the do
• The tsuki area, the throat guard

Three referees officiate the kendo shinai match, each holding a red flag and a white flag corresponding to the colours of the kendoka's sides. For example, if the kendoka on the red side scores a point, the referee raises the red flag.

As there are three referees, two of them must agree to award a point to a kendoka. It is not unusual for a kendo shinai match to end in a draw.

A kendoka. Photo by AllaSerebrina.

The bottom line

Kendo is one of the most culturally rich and safest sword martial arts in the world. The self-discipline it teaches and the respect it instils in every kendoka reinforce the very foundations of modern identity. Even if one does not take part in a kendo shinai tournament, the lessons carry over throughout a kendoka's life. It allows the individual to achieve great things with renewed determination and focus, just as the legendary samurai warriors once did.

Frequently asked questions

What is kendo?

Modern Japanese fencing: a martial art in which two competitors in armour (bogu) face each other with the bamboo sword (shinai), a direct heir of the samurai's swordsmanship.

What is the difference between kendo, iaido and kenjutsu?

Kendo is the competitive sport with the shinai; iaido is the art of drawing and cutting in a single movement; kenjutsu covers the old sword techniques practised with a real sword.

What equipment do you need to start kendo?

A shinai and an outfit (keikogi + hakama) are enough for the first months; the bogu armour (men, kote, do, tare) comes later, so allow about £260 to £700 for a first set.

At what age can you start kendo?

From 6 or 7 years old in most dojos, and there is no upper limit: in Japan, many practitioners are over 80.